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Directory

        1.    Marcello Modesto, Finnish and Hebrew
        2.    Davide Sivero, Stress in modern standard Arabic

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Message 1: Finnish and Hebrew

Date: 15-Nov-2004
From: Marcello Modesto <marc.modestouol.com.br>
Subject: Finnish and Hebrew


I'm a Brazilian linguist working with null subject languages of the mixed
 type (which allow pro-drop only with some persons or tenses). In the
 languages I could gather information on, which so far include only Finnish
 and Hebrew, 3rd person null subjects are disallowed in matrix contexts but
 allowed in embedded contexts if (and, i suppose, only if) the embedded 3rd
 person subject is correferent with a matrix argument: 
 
 (1) Feljeni vaimo oli niin iloinen, ettei voinut nukkua. (Finnish)
      brother's wife was so happy  that-not/3sg could sleep/inf.
      My brother's wife was so happy that she couldn't sleep
 
 (2) Hivtaxti          lo she-yedaber          kama  
      promised/past/1sg him that-speak/fut/3sgm as-much she-yree.   (Hebrew)
      that-want/fut/sgm 
      I promised him that he will speak as much as he wants. 
 
 I need information on the interpretation of such embedded null 3rd person
 subjects. For instance, I need to know if in Hebrew and Finnish the
 embedded null 3rd person subject may only refer to c-commanding antecedents
 (as (1) seems to indicate) and if it generally  may refer to matrix objects
 as easily as to matrix subjects (as (2) seems to show). 
 
 I would really appreciate if Finnish and Hebrew speakers could exchange a
 few emails with me concerning these (and other) questions on the
 interpretation of such null subjects. 
 
 I would also like to hear from people who know of languages where similar
 facts hold (even if, or maybe specially if, the interpretation
 possibilities of the embedded null subject is slightly different than in
 Finnish and Hebrew). 
 
 For those who would be willing to help, please reply directly to
 marc.modestouol.com.br 
 
 Thanks. 
 
 Linguistic Field(s): Syntax 
 
 Subject Language(s): Finnish (Language Code: FIN) 
 
 Subject Language(s): Hebrew (Language Code: HBR)

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Message 2: Stress in modern standard Arabic

Date: 15-Nov-2004
From: Davide Sivero <davidetamaralibero.it>
Subject: Stress in modern standard Arabic


Dear Sirs,

could anybody tell me the rules of the stress pattern of standard Arabic as
pronounced by Egyptian speakers? Since the stress pattern of local
colloquial Arabic usually affects the pronunciation of standard Arabic,
understanding how the stress system works in Egyptian colloquial Arabic
would be very helpful...

Hoping for an help I thank you with all my heart.

Yours sincerely,

Davide Sivero 

Linguistic Field(s): Phonology 
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